Reaves replaces Dončić: 43 points lift Lakers past Detroit
· BehindLines newsroom
With Luka Dončić ruled out by lower-back tightness, Austin Reaves poured in a season-high 43 points and the Lakers edged the Pistons 121-116 in Detroit on Sunday, 8 November 2026. Los Angeles had won all four of Dončić's previous games, so this makes five in a row, as the Sporting Tribune headline puts it.
Reaves' night
Reaves went 14 for 27 from the field, 4 for 6 from three and 11 for 11 at the free-throw line, adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists, KAIT 8 (an AP report) says. CBS Sports (also AP) notes that he scored 13 in the third quarter, then hit an off-balance three with 46 seconds left and sealed the win from the line. Reaves credited luck for his night, KAIT 8 quotes him as saying, and described that late shot as "100% lucky."
Inside help, and a hot Detroit bench
Walker Kessler produced 12 points and 16 rebounds, including a basket plus free throw that stretched the margin to 107-99 with 2:15 remaining, per CBS Sports. The Lakers led 61-48 at the break, after Daniss Jenkins hit a three as the halftime buzzer sounded. Jenkins, a reserve, ended with a career-best 31 points and Kevin Huerter added 24: between them they outscored Detroit's starting five 44-30, again per CBS Sports. No Pistons starter reached double figures. Detroit trimmed the gap to 84-81 in the third quarter but still entered the fourth trailing by seven.
The context
Dončić, who had averaged 45 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists across his previous four games, was declared unavailable earlier on Sunday, CBS Sports says. The Lakers had dropped their previous four meetings with Detroit. The Pistons, who began 6-1, have now dropped two in a row.
What to take away
Kessler summed up the locker-room mood: whether it is a Luka night or a Reaves night, the team expects to win, KAIT 8 quotes him as saying. The same source says Reaves had averaged 23.0 points during Dončić's hot streak. For Los Angeles, it shows a second scorer can carry the team while its star is out. Detroit hosts Washington on Monday night, CBS Sports reports. The Sporting Tribune page could only be read as an empty preview, so we keep only its headline; the figures come from the two AP reports.